Tatum & Racism
Discussing a lot of topics with people can be very difficult or intimidating at times. Racism is one that is definitely in that category. It's a hard topic in that sense of fear and worry of using the wrong terms. It can be hard to grasp that the fact that someone could be so poorly mistreated in this world because of their skin color. Racism has divided the nation today of those individuals that support Black Lives Matter and those who do not. And let me say this, while everyone is entitled to their own opinions BLACK LIVES DO MATTER. They are people, they are humans, they have feelings and goals just as others and they deserve to be treated better.
Thinking about my education on race and racial identity, it was very lacked. I saw a glimpse of it my freshman year of college in a sociology class. My sophomore year I did not see much, but it wasn't until my junior year of college where my classrooms really started bringing it to light. FNED and a number of social work classes really focused on race and the world we live in today.
As Tatum's piece brought this point to my attention.. "I never knew it was really that bad just 35 years ago. Why didn’t I learn this in elementary or high school?"
Why was I just being introduced into this discussion during college? I believe that this is something that desperately needs to implemented in all school levels. Let this be an everyday topic in every grade. Allow all students of every race to learn and understand what has happened but more importantly how changes need to be made for people of color.
Create community agreements when discussing race so students understand how to speak on this topic. Educate them on the wrongful doings in history but more importantly of the current wrongful acts of police brutality, injustice, inequality, etc. I can honestly say that I wish I had received education on race identity and racism within my K-12 schooling because I would not only be more EDUCATED and AWARE but more COMFORTABLE when discussing these topics.
I remember fall semester of 2019, my social work professor had assigned us to write a paper based on the movie Thirteenth on Netflix. This movie focused on the criminalization of African Americans and the United States' prison boom. This film was very eye opening to me as I remember being speechless to the statistics it was revealing. I remember asking myself if this would be how my four year old nephew would have to grow up?
It is time that we wake up America and start treating all individuals for who they are not what they are.
Here are just two links of many:
https://blacklivesmatter.com
https://www.change.org/p/tony-evers-charge-the-cops-who-shot-jacob-blake?source_location=topic_page
Hi Jordyn I really enjoyed reading your blog and couldn't agree more with you about your opening statement. It is not only difficult to bring it up but to have full on conversations about it. Unfortunately we are not educated enough in my opinion and tend to not think before we speak because of the environments we grew up around most of the time. I know that I even catch myself saying things I shouldn't because I tend to open my mouth before I think. And as Tatum pointed out we never realize the awful in front of us until its much later on in life.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you on the fact that we do not talk about this at all until college and it is really a topic that should be talked about at all ages. Its so hard in your 20s to try and adjust and learn all of this so quickly.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that race is a topic many of us do not learn until we start college. I did not learn about race until I was in college and I feel as this is a topic that should have taught to us in either "K-12th grade". The documentary 13th was also eye opening to me as it was a documentary I remember seeing in my Social Work 325: Diversity & Oppression II, which talked about the lives of innocent Black-Americans and one that touched me a lot was the assassination of Trayvon Martin. People like him did not deserve to die, just like how Breonna Taylor did not deserve to die and I think every grade in school should teach race as a topic, have diverse classrooms and let each student work with someone who is different to learn from their culture and experiences growing being who they are. As Tatum asks, "Why are Black Kids still sitting together", it is time that a change in education happens as she argues that no one should be separated and she also makes a point on how all of us should be treated equally. No one should be separated in schools for being a different race and based on the students/classmates we worked with in the past, we were not well educated and we must be careful when seeing someone who is different and be respectful.
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